A Night To Remember
by lemon31
Summary: Part 5 of the Soundtrack Series. Prom Night is approaching, much too quickly in Chad's opinion. Chyan. Slash.


A few months ago Chad would have hated Troy for it, but now he felt a rush of gratitude towards the Wildcat captain who was, of course, oblivious.

Sharpay's attempt at convincing the entire East High student body that Troy Bolton batted for the other team and her later, almost desperate, accusation that Gabriella wasn't entirely.......ahem.......female had fallen flat on it's glossy, foundation covered face. On reflection, Troy's influence over the school was rather disturbing, but if the basketball champion showed no open display of homophobia, then neither would the rest of the students, and that suited Chad fine.

Oddly enough Ryan never seemed to feature in the frequent, slightly obsessive, discussions about the possible candidates for the title 'First Gay Couple of East High.' Chad had come to the conclusion that people had dismissed Ryan's blinding 'gayness' as merely an act and assumed that he and Sharpay were an 'item'.

When Chad raised this during one of their many lazy afternoons together Ryan's first reaction was to wrinkle his nose and say; "Ew, no way! Shar's got......girly parts....." to which Chad had replied incredulously; "You mean to say that your first thought wasn't, "Ew, she's my sister!"?"

Chad would never understand the Evans twins' relationship but as long as he could feel Ryan's steady breathing and the warmth of his body lying close to him at night, thoughts of Sharpay never entered his mind.

****

The ruler rapped hard on the top of his head, waking Chad out of his blissful daydream of the past weekend spent at the Evans' and Ryan's smooth body sprawled across his own bare chest. Another sharp rap on his head brought Chad abruptly back into the present and he eyed Taylor, who was brandishing her ruler, warily.

"How do you expect to pass your exams if you persist in staring into space all lesson. You won't always be able to copy my notes. Wait, is that drool?"

Chad hastily wiped his mouth on his sleeve and seeing that Taylor was still wielding her ruler like a weapon, forced himself to at least appear to be concentrating on the equations in front of him. A small smile crept on to his face as, unable to prevent himself, he let his thoughts wander back to Ryan.

****

Ryan skipped out of the theatre, ignoring his sister's demand that he should wait for her, and hurried off to the cafeteria. He caught sight of a familiar mop of hair wending its way through the crowd of people hurrying to lunch. Chad hardly noticed the tiny freshmen darting out of his way as he meandered down the packed corridor, still preoccupied with his earlier daydream. Ryan lunged through a gaggle of cheerleaders and grabbed Chad's wrist, pulling him back.

"Miss me?"

Chad tried to scowl back at him.

"You just woke me out of a lovely daydream, it was getting to the good part."

"I do apologise," Ryan replied, winking.

"At least you were kinder than Taylor, she whacked my head with her damn ruler!"

"You could feel it through all that hair?"

Chad attempted to scowl again but a grin forced its way on to his face when Ryan leant forward, whispering in his ear;

"I'll kiss it better for you, but not here. Come back to mine after basketball practice."

They joined the mob of students queuing for food, enjoying the way they were pushed and jostled closer together as they waited in line.

****

Ryan lazily drew patterns with his fingernail on Chad's stomach, making him squirm on the silk sheets. He savoured the way Chad bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from giggling and stopped his slow torture to observe the darker skinned boy. Chad opened one eye cautiously and was startled to see Ryan staring back at him so intently. Stretching his arm out he stroked the pale cheek and drew the smaller boy closer, so they were pressed together, chest to chest.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Prom," Ryan answered simply.

Chad sighed and pressed a soft kiss to Ryan's lips.

"I know how you feel, it's the same for me too. Everyone will be watching, just imagine all of them staring. No one suspect that we're the gay couple, it's – "

Ryan interrupted him.

"Oh! It's not _that_ I'm thinking of. I was trying to decide what kind of tux I should wear. I only have three formal hats so my choice is limited."

Chad snorted in exasperation, but, realising how unattractive it sounded, turned it into a short cough.

"You'd look fabulous if you turned up in a bathrobe, and you know it."

"That's all very well, but what's the use if I have no hat to match said bathrobe?"

Chad tried to shake his head but, realising the impossibility of this with Ryan's weight pinning him to the mattress, settled for eye rolling. Ryan noticed and playfully tugged a stray curl resting on Chad's forehead.

"So, what will you be wearing?"

Chad made and attempt to shrug.

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest."

Ryan looked scandalised, as if Chad's clear lack of interest about his clothes was a shocking revelation. It wasn't – one only had to look at his bright shirts and old jeans to know that fashion was not a priority in Chad's choice of attire.

"Well, that leaves me no alternative. I simply _must_ take you shopping."

Chad immediately stopped stroking Ryan's fine, blond hair.

"Do you think I would submit myself to that torture willingly?"

"No date of mine will turn up in an off-the-rail tux – Evans rules."

And with that he rolled off Chad's body, pulling him on top, thereby ending any further discussion of the matter.

****

Ryan slid the window of the sleek, silver Porsche open and gestured impatiently for Chad to get a move on.

"If you don't hurry up there won't be time to visit all the shops, and I'm in desperate need of some new shoes."

"You own enough shoes to open your own store," Chad grumbled but his jaw dropped when he was close enough to examine the car pulled up on his driveway.

"Dude! Where'd this come from? It's amazing!"

"It's my father's – he let me borrow it for the weekend," Ryan answered with a smug grin. "Stop gawping and get in."

The passenger door clicked shut and Chad, stroking the black leather seating, gazed longingly at the steering wheel.

"Hey, can I – "

" – absolutely not. Now buckle up, we've got shops to hit."

****

Ryan pulled up smoothly to the kerb and hopped out. He made a beeline for the expensive looking clothes store opposite, leaving Chad to trail behind. Chad took one look at the attractively dressed mannequins in the window and the crowds of people milling about inside and had to force himself not to make a run for it. Taking deep, calming breaths he pushed the door open, muttering "Don't panic, don't panic, you can't back out of this now," to himself.

As soon as he had stepped inside a store assistant swooped down on him, and waved a tray of flowers and ribbons under his nose.

"Shopping for your prom tux?"

"Y-yes..."

"Well, you'll be wanting one of these corsages for your date."

Baffled, Chad replied, "I don't know what a corsage is...."

"One of _these_." She pushed the tray at him again. "You give them to your prom date."

Chad stared at the vast array in front of him and felt the rising panic again. Was Ryan expecting to get one from him or did only girls receive them?

A familiar voice in the crowd shouted his name and, grateful for the excuse, he turned away from the woman to see Ryan accompanied by an entourage of store assistants.

"You aren't thinking of plaid, are you? That would look hideous."

Realising that he was standing next to a whole display of plaid tuxedos Chad quickly shook his head.

"No I was just – "

" – come on then, the fitting rooms are this way."

Ryan strode purposefully across to the other side of the store, assistants with arms full of various suits following and Chad bringing up the rear.

In the slightly quieter part of the store Ryan picked out a selection of the tuxedos and a woman dashed forward with a tape measure.

"I think we'll try these first, and then possibly a different cut for comparison......"

Chad jumped away, as if stung, when the woman started to measure the inside of his thigh.

"Do I have to try on so _many_?"

Ryan didn't seem to hear him and, thrusting the first into Chad's arms, pushed him towards the nearest cubicle.

A few minutes later Chad stepped out, looking like he was drowning in a circus tent.

"Too baggy," Ryan mused, tapping a finger against his bottom lip. "I didn't realise your chest was so narrow......."

"Hey, I've worked hard for this!" Chad flexed his muscles but with the huge tuxedo completely swamping him, he didn't look too impressive.

"Enough posturing, go try the next one on."

Chad stomped back into the cubicle, tripping slightly on the too long trouser legs.

After five minutes Ryan was starting to become impatient.

"Are you going to come out yet?"

"I can't do the zipper up!"

"Well I need to see if the cut suits you."

Chad slowly opened the door and shuffled forward, conscious of how close the seams were to splitting.

"It's way too tight, man, makes me look weird."

"Hmm, it certainly shows off your....ahem.....package rather nicely."

The shop assistant in the corner giggled but soon stopped when both Chad and Ryan glared round at her.

"The colour looks quite good on you, it's very striking against your skin."

Chad looked down at the disgusting pale blue tuxedo.

"If I wanted to look striking I would pick a bright pink one."

"Ooh, that's a good idea. I have a pair of goregous pink trousers that would match perfectly!"

"Don't even think about it – that's ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous. I'm going home, this store is driving me insane."

Before Ryan could protest Chad had stripped out of the blue tuxedo, pulled on his clothes roughly and dashed for the exit. He leaned against the car, waiting for Ryan to finish apologising to the assistants and follow him.

"Are you alright? I didn't realise this would be such a big deal for you."

Chad jumped, not noticing that Ryan had quietly sidled up to the car and was standing close enough for their arms to touch.

"Well you wouldn't, would you? You love all this......shopping. The fawning attention of the assistants, the crush of so many eager customers treading on your feet.......but I hate it all. I'll get my mom to find me a tux somewhere. I guess," Chad hid his face from Ryan, "I'm just so nervous about prom, I wish we didn't have to go through this nightmare."

Ryan reached up and placed a brief kiss on his cheek.

"Prom has been built up so much, right from when we were in junior high. We'll get through it, maybe even enjoy it, but for now stop worrying about getting a tux. I'll work something one, let's go home – I think cookies and a movie are in order."

****

It was stupid; how many times had he watched Wildcat games? More than enough to know Chad's team number, but when he thought back to the basketball tournaments he'd only really noticed the look of intense concentration on his face, the way his shoulder muscles flexed when he threw the ball, the perspiration dripping down his neck................Stop that thought right there, now was not the time to get side tracked.

Checking and double checking that no one was watching (it really would not be favourable to Ryan's reputation if he was seen sneaking into the Wildcat locker room) he cautiously pushed the door open. The stench of unwashed kit and sweaty jocks hit Ryan's nostrils like a pillow smothering him, almost pushing him out of the room. Fighting back nausea Ryan held his breath, checked that the team were all in the showers and dashed over to Chad's locker. He rummaged through the mass of disgusting, unclean kit, trying to find the vest. Extracting it at last he tucked it under his jacket, hating the feel of damp sweat permeating his clean Ralph Lauren shirt, and sprinted out of the locker room before the team returned.

****

"Have you seen my vest anywhere?"

Ryan looked up from his script briefly.

"Why would you think that I had? You know I will never cross the threshold of that repulsive locker room."

"Hmm, yeah, wonder where I put it....."

"Maybe Taylor will know."

"You think? No harm in trying."

Chad rushed to intercept Taylor as she entered the classroom and Ryan smiled slightly to himself. Putting the script back into his bag as Ms. Darbus entered he pushed the vest further down, out of sight.

****

"Duckie! There's a package for you, I've put it on the hall table."

Ryan bounded towards the front door.

"Thanks, Mom. I can't believe it's come at last!"

Mrs Evans smiled indulgently at her son.

"I'm off for some yoga, care to join me?"

But Ryan had already dashed upstairs to unwrap his parcel.

It was perfect, exactly what he had designed, right down to the screen printing on the back. Carefully wrapping it in a protective plastic cover he hung in on his closet door, ready to take to school the following morning.

****

Ryan arrived at East High before Sharpay had even finished perfecting her make up, and way before it was considered sane to arrive. He sat in the empty cafeteria until the usual shouts and noise that accompanied the vast number of students entering the building. For a while he hung around Chad's locker, then the main school doors and finally near the water fountains, aware of the stares of other students, but he soon realised that the odd looks he seemed to be constantly receiving were nothing out of the ordinary and that he was just being paranoid. Ryan heard Chad's voice before he saw him, no one could mistake that loud, joking tone for anyone else. Slipping round the corner he peeked out in time to see Chad catching a ball thrown to him by Zeke and then turn to open his locker. Ryan held his breath, suddenly anxious that his efforts would not be appreciated. Chad reached in for his Chemistry folder and his fingers brushed the protective plastic covering hanging inside. Confused, he extracted it from the clutter that had built up in his locker and gasped.

"Like it?"

Chad spun round at the sound of Ryan's voice right behind him.

"Dude, what the......I don't know........how much did it cost?"

Slightly embarrassed, Ryan's confidence in his idea fell.

"Er........you know money's not an issue. You do like it, though?"

Not caring that the corridors were packed with students Chad threw his arms around the startled boy, crushing the tuxedo between them.

"I can't believe you would do something like that, it's way more than I deserve," he whispered into Ryan's ear.

Relieved that the surprise had been a success, Ryan gave Chad a brief squeeze before backing away.

"Careful, you're going to crease it. Come on, I want to see how it looks on you."

Chad and Ryan pushed their way through the crowds, ignoring the first bell, and stumbled into the nearest empty bathroom. Not waiting to be told, Chad locked himself in a cubicle and frantically removed his clothes. Flinging the door open he stepped out and paraded up and down in front of the sinks. The tuxedo fitted him perfectly; tight enough to accentuate Chad's defined muscles but with enough space for him to move without splitting the seams. Perched on the end sink Ryan suppressed his laughter as he watched Chad strike poses in front of the mirrors. Who would have thought the Wildcat would appreciate good quality clothes to this extent?

"I love it, man, only you would buy a custom tuxedo for someone if they couldn't find one to fit."

"Have you checked the back?"

Chad stretched round to look over his should but could sight of his reflection in the mirror.

"Dude, you didn't!"

"I hope I didn't go to far."

"No, it's......wow......"

He shrugged out of the jacket to admire it properly. Printed on the thick white material was the word 'Danforth' in bright purple and underneath a large '8'.

"I don't know what to say..........it's awesome!"

"I think you'll be wanting this back, then."

Ryan reached into his bag and pulled out Chad's Wildcat vest, freshly washed and ironed.

"_You_ had it all along? I was searching everywhere for it – you should have seen Coach's face when I told him I'd lost it."

"Sorry, I needed to get the design perfect."

"You know I'm not really mad. If I get presents like this when you steal things, maybe you should take stuff more often"

Chad pulled Ryan down from the sinks.

"Can I have this dance, Mr Evans?"

"Why certainly, seeing as you asked so nicely."

Assuming the opening position of a waltz Chad took the lead and spun Ryan around, forgetting how a few months ago he would never have managed to dance so gracefully. Both absorbed in the steps, not even aware that they were in an East High bathroom, the bell brought them rudely back to reality.

"Ms. Darbus will kill us!"

"Go change back, quick!"

Chad didn't even bother to lock himself in a cubicle and hurriedly pulled the tuxedo off.

"Careful! Don't tear it!"

Back in his normal clothes Chad grabbed Ryan's hand and sprinted down the corridor to their classroom.

****

Prom had come round with almost indecent speed, and with it came another wave of panic for Chad. Ryan appeared totally unconcerned, but this was just another performance for him. It was impossible to escape the squealing girls as they made their way down the school corridors, and the boys weren't much better; trying to appear macho but every now and then casually asking, "So what kind of tux have you got?" or "Have you bought anything for your date?" Chad was almost relieved when the day of the prom arrived, at least it would be over in 24 hours.

He was supposed to be over at the Evans' at 8 (apparently a limo was coming to pick them up at 8.15) but at 7.30 he still hadn't decided what do with his hair. He'd pushed it back, tied it up, pulled it forward, even tried hair gel but had needed two showers to sort out the tangled mess it had created. In desperation he reached for his phone and texted Ryan, hoping he would have some ideas.

Barely a minute after he'd sent the message his phone buzzed with the reply:

'Fluff it xxx'

_Fluff_ it?

Chad stared at his reflection, ran this fingers through his hair and gave it up as a bad job.

He checked his watch – 7.45 – time to be leaving.

****

Mrs Danforth watched her son walk slowly up to the impressive Evans gates with an anxious frown etched across her brow. It seemed odd to her that Chad, always one of the more popular kids, didn't have a date – even that McKessie girl wasn't going with him and she was sure, having known her since junior high, that their purely platonic relationship would permit them to take each other for convenience sake. All she knew about the Evans' was their incredible fortune and their twin children, but how they had become associated with her Chad she had no idea. Looking forward to the interrogation she was going to give him when he returned home later that night, she put her car in gear and sped off.

****

Chad's heart was already beating so fast he could feel it practically bursting out through his rib cage, so when Zeke crept up behind him and slung an arm around his shoulder he could be forgiven for the brief, high pitched scream and jumping at least a foot in the air.

Zeke, never fazed by anything, merely chuckled .

"Chill out, man, what's got you all tense? And why are you here anyway"

Chad glared at him.

"I don't appreciate being sneaked up on."

"It was only a joke, dude. But wait," Zeke's expression suddenly became deathly serious, "you aren't taking Sharpay as well, are you?"

"No, of course I'm not! Do you really think I would take the 'Ice Queen' to prom willingly?"

"Ah, okay, but that doesn't explain why you're sneaking around the Evans' driveway on Prom Night."

"I'm....," Chad's mouth suddenly went dry. He hadn't envisioned 'coming out' quite like this, but to be honest he'd never really considered how exactly he would do it. "I'mtakingryantoprom......"

"You're what sorry?"

Chad, frustrated that he would have to repeat himself, gritted his teeth."

"I'm taking. Ryan. To. Prom."

There, he'd said it.

"Oh, alright, that's cool. Hey! We can double date!"

He was prepared for any other reaction but this, and it left him gaping for a minute or two.

"So.....what? You're just _cool_ with that? It doesn't bother you."

"Nope, I am very confident in my own sexuality."

"Dude, you're wearing pink. That screams 'gay'."

"Dude, you're taking a guy to Prom. I think that screams it a little bit louder."

The whole situation suddenly seemed ridiculous in Chad's eyes, and he burst into hysterical giggles. Zeke checked his watch anxiously.

"C'mon, man. We aren't even at the front door yet."

They approached the elaborate double doors slowly, Chad still choking on his laughter. He quickly sobered up, though, when Zeke pressed the bell and footsteps rang out clearly from inside the house.

"Stop shaking, man, it looks really weird."

"I can't help it, aren't you nervous at all?"

"I'm taking the most beautiful girl in the school, it's going to be an amazing evening, so will you please........Oh, hey Mrs Evans."

"You must be Zeke and.......Chad?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Chad's answer had somehow got caught in his throat.

"Well, Sharpay and Ryan should be down soon. Why don't you step inside?"

They crossed the threshold, Chad suddenly aware that he hadn't cleaned his shoes thoroughly, wiped them vigorously on the mat. The awkward silence as Mrs Evans took in their tuxedos and they stared around the impressive hallway was broken by a scream from the right wing of the house;

"Ryan! Where did you put by strawberry lip gloss? I need it _now_!"

The reply came with equal force from the left wing;

"You know I only wear raspberry. Have a look in your purse."

Various thumps and crashes shook the enormous chandelier hanging from the hall ceiling but finally Sharpay and Ryan descended down the stairs, dressed to kill. Needless to say, both Chad and Zeke's jaws dropped.

Before the couples could come within two metres of each other, Mr Evans swept in and grasped both boys' hands in a firm grip – so firm Chad could have sworn he felt his bones crunch.

"Well, take good care of them and have a wonderful evening."

He kissed his daughter on the cheek, reached across to straighten his son's hat but withdrew his hand with a smile.

"You both look stunning, but hurry, I think the limo's arrived."

In a haze Chad found himself bundled out of the house and pushed down the drive, into the waiting limo. He could hardly take in the plush interior or the free champagne but he felt Ryan link their fingers together and knew that regardless of the stares they were bound to receive and the insults that would fly, he would remember tonight for always.

And not only because it was his first time in a limousine.

****

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